A walk through the neighborhood of Neve Tzedek

The neighborhood of Neve Tzedek, built in 1887, was the first all-Jewish suburb to be established outside the mixed Arab-Jewish city of Jaffa. To a degree, it can be considered the model for the later development of Tel Aviv. By the 1950s, it was experiencing decay as people moved north to Tel Aviv, but it is now undergoing high-end rejuvenation. This circular walk focuses on its interesting buildings, and in particular on the enterprising people who once lived here. It starts at the corner of Pines St. and (Shalom) Shabazi St., but can be taken up anywhere along the route shown on the map below.

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Time: Almost half a day if you like window-shopping and wish to visit the Nahum Gutman Museum and visit the HaTahana.

Directions and parking: For a large and convenient parking lot, enter “Hatahana Parking” into Waze. To then get onto the circular hike, go through the park adjoining the parking lot in the direction away from the sea and continue along Shabazi St until you come to the corner of Shabazi St and Achva St. Turn right onto Achva St and you are close to the beginning of our circular walk. It is also possible to walk from the Clock Tower in Jaffa along Nahum Goldmann St. Its junction with Kaufmann St. will bring you close to the beginning of this walk.

Type of walk: Circular

Public transport: Enter “Shabazi St.” into Moovit. The bus stop is a bit further along Shabazi St. than its intersection with Pines St. From the Shalom Towers it is about a 540-meter/ 5-minute walk to the beginning of the walk. The closest light rail is Elifelet Light Rail Station which is about a 10-minute walk to the beginning of the walk.

Outside the Nahum Guttman Museum

Beginning, decay, and now rejuvenation of Neve Tzedek

The 1880s was a time of increased Jewish immigration to Palestine, primarily due to the Ashkenazi First Aliyah from Eastern Europe. Much of this immigration was to agricultural settlements, but some immigrants settled in cities such as Jerusalem and Jaffa.

A new suburb of Jaffa was established in 1887 by a number of Jewish families who wished to escape the crowded conditions in Jaffa, then a predominantly Arab city. Their aim was to establish a religious neighborhood with modern housing just outside Jaffa, with their model being the suburbs of Western Europe. They named their new suburb Neve Tzedek, which means Abode of Righteousness. This name reflects the vision of its founders who were predominantly religious immigrants. It was not exclusionary, since most immigrants to Palestine during this period were religious Jews.

The three individuals most involved in its establishment were the businessman Aharon Chelouche, who was Sephardi, a money lender, trader in silver and gold, and jeweler who moved to Neve Tzedek alone with his family in 1883, Shimon Rokach, a wealthy Ashkenazi from a Hassidic family who owned much of the land of this area, which was purchased from an Arab sheikh, and Akiva Weiss, a Zionist activist.

Aharon Chelouche was originally from Algeria. In addition to his house, he erected an adjoining synagogue. His two sons owned a store, and then a factory for building supplies. They were also contractors for many of the homes in Neve Tzedek.

Shimon Rokach was a community leader and was very much involved in charitable ventures. His colleague, Sephardi Chief Rabbi Ya’akov Meir, had this to say about his friend after his passing away: “I remember when the departed was able to celebrate the first house he erected in Neveh Tzedek, having been the first to plunge the stake into that hill of sand, in the desolation of the wilderness – which he removed – and a stake for all the surrounding neighborhoods. How happy he was, and how he laughed with joy! When I asked him, “My friend Shimon, what is the meaning of this laughter?”, he answered with radiant, beaming countenance: “How could I not laugh and be happy, having been privileged to add another settlement to a desolate land, despite our opponents who strove with all their power to impede my way?” The departed then prophesied: “Now I look ahead, and it is not far off: around this settlement of ours there now will multiply new settlements and neighborhoods, and we will be able to establish for ourselves a purely Jewish center,” and his good heart saw correctly, for is not Tel Aviv the scion of Neveh Tzedek? Who knows, if there had been no Neveh Tzedek, whether we would have even Tel Aviv and its suburbs?”

You will notice in your walk that the original homes here are totally different from say the homes in Nachla’ot in Jerusalem, built during this same period. Those were built as modestly-priced housing for people of limited means and were sold almost at cost. The homes in Neve Tzedek were built for bourgeoisie, and were comparable in quality to the homes of the German Templars, as seen for example in Serona.

Neve Tzedek thrived. A station for a railway connecting Jaffa and Jerusalem was built close by in 1892 and this provided a boost to the neighborhood. By the 1920s, the neighborhood was attracting artists, writers, and intellectuals, particularly because of its low price of housing compared to Tel Aviv, and it became a hub of Jewish cultural and intellectual life. Among its residents were the poet Chaim Nachman Bialik, the painter Nahum Gutman and the writer Shmuel Yosef Halevi Czaczkes. Czaczkes later changed his name to Shmuel Yosef Agnon and is best known by his Hebrew acronym Shai Agnon.

However, from the 1950s onwards as the city of Tel Aviv moved northwards, the neighborhood began a slow decay. Many of the houses were abandoned and over time were close to collapse. However, due in large part to the Suzanne Dellal Center establishing itself here and renovating deserted school buildings, the neighborhood experienced a renaissance beginning in the 1980s. It is now one of the most fashionable and expensive suburbs of Tel Aviv.

In this walk, you will see the decay that occurred in this neighborhood, but which is fast disappearing. You will also appreciate that this is now a trendy place to be in with cafes, bars, galleries, boutiques, artists’ studies, and small shops. It has also become a popular tourist destination.

The outside of the Aboulafia home

The outside of the Rokach home

THE WALK THROUGH NEVE TZEDEK:

The walk starts at the corner of Pines St. and (Shalom) Shabazi St. Walk down Shabazi St. in a westward direction. Note its upscale stores.

Turn left when you come to Achva St. By way of contrast, look at the abandoned house at the corner of Achva St. and Neve Shalom (point A on the map at 21 Achva St.). This was the home of Rabbi Avraham Isaac Kook for 15 years before he moved to Jerusalem when appointed Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem.

Rav Kook was recruited for the position of Rabbi of Jaffa as a different, more modern type of rabbi than the predominantly East European rabbis then living in Palestine. He spoke Hebrew, and was knowledgeable on current trends in Russian Jewry, such as the Enlightenment. He was a graduate of the prestigious Volozyn Yeshiva, and was an expert on all aspects of halacha and kabbala. He moved to Neve Tzedek in 1904. He formed a yeshiva in his home, He befriended the intellectuals of the neighborhood. He left Neve Tzedek in 1919 when appointed Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem, and soon after this Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel. He also had a yeshiva in his home in Jerusalem, and this became the basis of the yeshiva Mercaz HaRav. This became the prototype for other religious Zionist yeshivot. Rav Kook is considered one of the great Jewish philosophers of the modern era. He was a messianist. One of his important contributions was to encourage religious Jews to become fully engaged with the Zionist state. The Old Yishuv at that time very much opposed this approach. The abandoned home you see is typical of the fate of many of the homes here, although many are being restored.

Turn left onto Sharabi St. This attractive street contains original homes, although many have been renovated. At its intersection with Pines St. are the Twin Homes (#2). These are two homes built by Aharon Cheloushe for his first two grandchildren from different sons (#2).

These homes were supposed to be alike to obviate any rivalry, hence their being known as the Twin Houses. In actuality they are not quite alike. One is slightly larger than the other, and they were therefore allocated by lottery. They were built in 1915 with material from the family’s workshop and were intended to incorporate traditional styles commensurate with the rest of the neighborhood — hence the arched windows, ornate balconies and decorative details, although blended with contemporary touches such as clean lines.

Continue down Pine St. to Shimon Rokah St. and turn right onto this street. On the left is the Rokach House (C)

Built in 1887, Rokach House at 36 Shimon Rokah St. was the home of one of the orginal founders of Neve Tzedek, Shimon Rokach. Its design reflects the Art Nouveau architectural style popular in this period. It has a large copper dome. His grandchildren have made the home into a museum dedicated to his life and work and the history of the beginnings of this community. Group tours can be pre-arranged through this website.

Further along Rokah St. is the Nahum Gutman Museum (E) on your right at 21 Shimon Rokah.

This is the original home of Nahum Gutman. If you are a visitor or recent immigrant to this country, there is a good chance that you have never heard of this artist, but he was an important figure at this time. His artwork is displayed in a number of prominent places in Tel Aviv.

Nahum arrived in this country with his family in 1905 and they moved to Neve Tzedek, although they were not the initial owners. This building was built in 1887 and is one of the original buildings of the neighborhood. Nahum studied at the Bezalel School of Art in Jerusalem and between 1920 to 1925 studied art in Vienna, Berlin and Paris, then centers of modern art. He was influenced in particular by Henri Matisse, Rasoul Dufy, Henri Rousseau, and the French Orientalists. As explained in the museum, he fused modern art with vividly colored, erotic, fantastic views reflecting Jewish national revival in the Land of Israel. Together with others, he sought to establish an artistic language for Zionist projects.

In one section of the museum is a display of his paintings and in another his sculpture. On another floor is the exhibit Wormhole, an attractive exhibit which has nothing to do with this artist. Tickets for admission are purchased in the museum store. Admission is 30 NIS and for students and seniors 15 NIS. The museum is open Monday to Thursday 10.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m., Friday 10.00 a.m. to 2.00 p.m., Saturday 10.00 a.m. to 3.00 p.m. and it is closed on Sunday. Their phone number is 03 516 1970.

The corner house on Shimon Rokah St. and Achva St (E) on your left is the home of the Abulafia family.

After the death of her husband, the Abulafia widow rented the attic of her home to a writer Shmuel Yosef Czaczkes. He would eventually become known by his penname Shai Agnon, and would become a Nobel prizewinner for Hebrew literature. Agnon befriended the intellectuals in the neighborhood. All tour guides will doubtless tell you about Agnon’s crush on Aharon Chalouche’s granddaughter. He was able to see her on the balcony of the Chalouche home across the road from his room. However, such a match as this would not have been approved of by the Chalouche family, as Czaczkes was no more than a writer. He mentions his crush for her in his book “Yesterday and the day before yesterday,” but makes no mention of the Chalouche home. Rather, in his book he describes his room looked out over the sea.

The original Chalouche home can be seen, and their synagogue to the south of this. The family workshop owned by his sons was next door to their father’s home.

If you turn left down Aharon Chelouche St., you will soon come to the Chelouche (Shlush) Bridge (Hebrew: Gesher Chelouche), located at the southern edge of the historic Neve Tzedek neighborhood, and crossing the old Jaffa–Jerusalem railway line. When the Jaffa–Jerusalem railway opened in 1892, the tracks created a physical barrier between the growing Jewish neighborhood of Neve Tzedek and Jaffa. The bridge was constructed to maintain access across the line, connecting Neve Tzedek with the commercial center of Jaffa. This railway simultaneously connected Palestine to the wider world but divided local neighborhoods, making bridges like this one essential. By the late twentieth century the bridge had deteriorated badly and was declared unsafe. Around 2000, the municipality dismantled parts of it and undertook a preservation project, strengthening and restoring the structure rather than demolishing it.

Turn right onto Chelouche St and then take the first left onto Yehieli St. This will bring you to the Suzanne Dellal Center (F) at 5 Yehieli St. You will come to a large courtyard. Immediately on the wall on your left as you enter the courtyard is the impressive ceramic print work by the artist David Tartakover, who also lived in the neighborhood. It was created for the inauguration of the center and depicts in vivid colors the history of Neve Tzedek. In the center is a picture of Shimon Rokach and beneath this Aharon Chelouche, the two founders of Neve Tzedek.

The Suzanne Dellal Center was founded in 1989 with the goal of producing world-class dance productions and mixed educational activities. It was set up in school buildings of the neighborhood that were no longer functioning. These buildings have since been renovated. The Center is the home of the Batsheva Dance Company and Inbal Dance Theater and it contains four concert halls, rehearsal studios, restaurant and café. There are also events and performances in the large plaza.

Exit the center by the continuation of Yehieli St and then turn right onto Kol Yisrael Haverim St. When this street comes to an end, turn right along Shabazi St. to return to Pines St. and the end of the walk.

Map of walk through Neve Tzedek

Picture of the founders of Neve Tzedek at the Suzanne Dellal Center. In the center is Shimon Rokach and bottom left is Aharon Chelouche.

The new cycle path and park connecting the center of Tel Aviv to HaTachana.

Nearby places of interest:

The American Colony of Jaffa is one of the most fascinating and least-known historic quarters in the Tel Aviv–Jaffa area. It lies immediately south of Neve Tzedek, between Neve Tzedek and Jaffa, roughly around Beer Hoffman Street and Auerbach Street. Today it is often called the American–German Colony because it had both American and German phases. To get there from Neve Tzedek, you can conveniently cross over the old railway area using the Chelouche (Shlush) Bridge.

In 1866, 156 American Christians from Maine, led by the preacher George J. Adams, sailed to Jaffa aboard the Nellie Chapin. They believed that helping restore the Jews to the Holy Land would hasten the Second Coming of Christ. They brought prefabricated wooden houses from Maine. The houses were shipped across the Atlantic, around Europe, and into Jaffa. Several of these New England-style wooden structures still survive today. These are among the oldest surviving Western-style houses in Israel. However, the settlers encountered disease, poor harvests, financial difficulties, and problems with Ottoman bureaucracy. Within only a few years the colony collapsed. Many settlers died or returned to America, and the settlement was abandoned. However, this was not the end of the story.

In 1869, members of the German Protestant Templer movement purchased many of the abandoned American properties and transformed the area into a thriving colony. From then on it became known as the American–German Colony. Hence, when Neve Tzedek was founded in 1883, the American–German Colony was already an established and prosperous suburb of Jaffa.

The two neighborhoods stood side-by-side and represented different responses to overcrowded Jaffa — the American–German Colony was Christian and European, while Neve Tzedek was Jewish and Hebrew-speaking. Together they formed part of the urban expansion outside Jaffa's ancient walls that eventually led to the creation of Tel Aviv.

HaTachana. The Jaffa–Jerusalem Railway was one of the most important infrastructure projects in the history of the Land of Israel. Opened in 1892 during the Ottoman period, it was the first railway line in the region and linked the Mediterranean port of Jaffa with Jerusalem. The line was the realization of a vision promoted by the Jerusalem entrepreneur and philanthropist Yosef Navon, who obtained an Ottoman concession and raised European capital for the project. The railway transformed travel, trade, and pilgrimage by reducing a difficult journey that had previously taken days by horse, carriage, or camel to only a few hours by train. The line began at the Jaffa Railway Station, located between what are now Neve Tzedek and Jaffa. This station became the gateway to Jerusalem for tourists, Christian pilgrims, merchants, and immigrants arriving by sea.

The station at Jaffa, known today as HaTachana ("The Station"), was the railway's western terminus. After the establishment of the state in 1948, rail operations were transferred to newer facilities, and the historic station was closed. For decades the compound stood neglected and largely inaccessible.

Beginning in the 2000s, the site underwent extensive restoration. The original Ottoman-era stone buildings, platforms, and sections of track were preserved and incorporated into a cultural and commercial complex. Today, HaTachana contains restaurants, cafés, galleries, boutiques, and public spaces, while retaining much of its nineteenth-century character. The old rails still run through the site, allowing visitors to visualize the station's original function.

Nevertheless, this site has been somewhat of a disappointment for many years, and because of its relative isolation it was usually rather empty. However, it is now serviced by Elifelet station. A recent bicycle path and park leads from HaTachana to close to Sederot Rothschild and the center of Tel Aviv, and the site is now very well connected. It should make a difference.